Ginger Spice and Everything Nice
by American Gelato
Summary: Austria, in a drunken stupor, remembers the time that Hungary formally declared independence from him, and becomes depressed. It's two days before Christmas, too, and Prussia won't stand for it! It's up to the King of Awesomeness himself to make Austria the happiest guy alive by Christmas evening, and he will do everything he can to make it possible!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OMG so many reviews on Riverdance! Thank you all for your reviews, I'm so happy you liked it and I'm glad I was able to describe it perfectly! And a couple of Riverdancers themselves, Sesi Braginskaya and Rina, reviewed and that made me so freakin' happy you don't even know I just asdkljfhcsdfhcjho! And also a special thanks to IntraSule, I'm happy the music worked out so well for you! And to everyone else who reviewed or will review, it warms my heart to hear my iPad go "DING~!" when I get an email of them, so thank you ;3**

**This is dedicated to PassionSmile, who so valiantly challenged me to write a multi-chapter fic! S/he asked me to write a story with Prussia in it, ****_and so Prussia it shall have_**** *insert dramatic choir here*. This will be my holiday fic, and I'll be working on it throughout the holiday season as I procrastinate on school work that is "important" and will "help decide my future career" and whatnot. Bleh :P.**

**Also, this isn't exactly the most historically accurate story, aside from the fact that Hungary formally declared "her" independence from Austria on November 4****th****, 1918. I don't really know what Prussia was doing at that time and I don't really care. Let's just assume that "he" decided to comfort Austria in "his" time of need. Cuz Prussia's that awesome, even in real life.**

**Happy Holidays ****(I know it's still November)****! Enjoy ;D**

"I didn't want her to leave! I never did anything to hurt her in any way, and what does she do? She leaves! Doesn't she know how much it's hurting me, even now?!"

"Specs, calm down-"

"I CAN'T! I CAN'T CALM DOWN! NOT AFTER WHAT SHE DID! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!"

"Oh, Specs…" Prussia cooed, rocking the sobbing nation back and forth in his arms.

This was unawesome. Austria getting drunk two days before Christmas was unawesome. Austria sobbing his heart and soul in Prussia's arms was unawesome. Hungary leaving him for her independence almost a century ago was unawesome. Running out of awesome things to say to Austria to make him feel better was unawesome.

In case you didn't notice, it was _very unawesome_.

_~Prussia's house, November 4__th__, 1918, a little over ninety-four years ago…~_

Prussia had woken up as he normally did. He opened his eyes, becoming aware that there was a real world that he lived in, where chocolate cake and German beer didn't float in the air and talk to him. After getting over his initial disappointment of that truth, he rolled over onto the cooler side of the bed, snuggling into the brisk cold of the comforter and soft pillow pressing against his cheeks and smiling contentedly before closing his eyes again to dream of the snowy streets of Berlin that would surely be a common sight this coming December. Gilbird, who had been resting in the crook of the Prussian's formally exposed neck before almost being squished _oh so rudely_, had other plans. He began to peck at Prussia's neck and jaw until the albino finally relented, scooping the bird into his palms as he sat up against the headboard.

"You sure are insistent on routine aren't you? Little shit…" The ordinarily crude remark was spoken as a term of endearment, and Gilbird understood perfectly, tweeting in agreement and fluffing his feathers at he shook his body. Prussia chuckled at the action, smoothing out the feathers with his thumb.

"Well, how about we get ready?" Gilbird chirped his affirmative, zooming to the bathroom in a yellow blur. Prussia followed, clad in a tank top and boxers. Germany complained that he would eventually get hypothermia by dressing like that in the fall and winter, but Prussia was a man who was _too awesome _for fluffy sweaters and snuggly scarves, at least while sleeping. As Prussia made his way towards the bathroom, he tried to shake off the remaining sleep from his protesting limbs, taking his time to grab his customary navy uniform and some clean underwear on his way. Gilbird tweeted rapidly in annoyance, signaling that his owner was taking too long.

"Good lord, I'm coming, _West_." Prussia chided. _I swear, the fuzz ball is becoming more and more like him… Traitor._ He thought childishly. Before he entered the bathroom, he turned on the radio across from his bed to listen to the news as he freshened up. The static soon faded and a man's voice cut through, clear and informative.

"…Hungary has formally declared its independence from Austria as of today on November 4th, 1918."

"What?!" Prussia shouted to the radio, momentarily forgetting the fact that it was not, in any way, a telephone and that the news anchor couldn't hear him. His wide eyes were now glued to the speaker as he slowly lowered himself to the edge of the bed, mouth slightly agape in shock. Gilbird, sensing the uneasiness in the air, fluttered out of the bathroom and perched himself on his owner's shoulder, his gaze switching between the radio and Prussia, who was becoming more and more antsy by the second.

"On October 30th, just five days previous, Hungary had declared independence after Austria had surrendered all hostiles unconditionally in the war that same day." The reporter announced. "Today marks the official dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Prussia couldn't believe his ears. Hungary had divorced Austria. He loved her with all his heart, and she left…

This was bad. Austria was always a fragile man, in both mind and body, and was no doubt taking this as an enormous blow to his heart. He had to get to Austria before something terrible happened. Though he never thought Austria capable of… suicide, Hungary's love was always a touchy subject with him. It was possible that Austria could have those thoughts after this occurring, and just after a world war, too. In a frenzied whirlwind, Prussia yanked on his uniform, shoved his feet in his boots without a care of scuffing the material, just barely took the time to put on his beloved cross as his mind clouded with worry, and grabbed his house keys before sprinting to Austria's place, Gilbird zooming hurriedly in his wake…

_~Austria's house, November 4__th__, 1918, about an hour after the initial radio broadcast…~_

The manor was dismal and dead. The normally pristine white paint and a perfectly tended garden seemed to be drained of all color. The normally chirping birds, which included Gilbird's love interest, were quiet and nowhere to be seen. The little bird fluttered over to the tree that he and his girlfriend normally met in, searching for his significantly fluffy other. As Prussia sprinted up the winding path towards the pristine estate, he noticed that the rocking chair that Hungary would always sit in when marveling at nature's beauty alongside her husband was gone, leaving Austria's in the now lonely corner of the ornate deck. This angered Prussia, for he knew that those times were the ones that Austria seemed to love the most, aside from playing the piano, as he held his beloved's hand, the two of them slowly rocking to-and-fro in perfect sync. He yanked open the double doors, not even bothering to shut them in his wake, and raced through the dark, bleak hallways that lead to the music room. Austria was always in the music room during an extreme mood faze, whether it be happiness, sadness, anger, or frustration.

Or hopelessness.

Prussia stopped abruptly before the ornate doors, his palms sweaty. What would he find? Would it be a ghastly corpse, just as grey as the overcast sky with cold limbs that would never move again and closed eyes that would never gaze through transparent spectacles once more? Would Austria be on the brink of death, blood pooling from wounds he inflicted upon his slim wrists, his breath coming out in raspy, labored breaths? Or would he be just about to pull the trigger, his eyes widening in recognition when he would see Prussia burst through the doors, but too far gone to stop, the shot ringing through the house in a plea for it all to end that no one but Prussia would ever hear, and would be too late to answer?

No! Prussia shook his head rapidly until his skull was about to burst with the pressure the motion instilled. Who was to say that he would find Austria committing, or having committed, suicide?! There was the possibility that he wasn't at all… That he was just looking out into the monochrome world through the large, wide window that adorned the far end of the room… That the room was a dark, gothic chamber of shadows and sinful whispers that no one could hear… That Austria was emotionless but for his eyes, which would betray longing and remorse and depression and _just help me, please…_

And that's exactly what Prussia found.

The doors were thrown open with the force of a madman. Prussia froze in the threshold, staring with wild, afraid eyes as he saw Austria spin around with a start, the absence of weapons or tools of pain sending a wave of relief coursing through Prussia's blood. His breathing came out in deep, almost forced breaths as he tried to get his heartbeat to stop thumping in his ears. Austria was safe. He was unharmed and not in any danger that could hurt him in any physical way.

Prussia stepped forward once, then again, cautiously making his way towards Austria. As he got closer, he noticed how Austria's face slowly contorted from surprise, to confusion, to uncertainty, to longing. It was the kind of longing that would adorn a lost and abused puppy's face, the longing that said: _Please take care of me. I want you to hold me. I want you to love me. I want you to never, ever, ever leave me alone in this cold world…_

"P-Prussia…" he whispered. It sounded so hurt.

"Austria… the awesome me has arrived…" Prussia let out a bitter laugh at how pitiful his own, practically copyrighted greeting sounded in the grave silence that laced the air.

Austria laughed slightly, his head bent downward and his shoulders trembling with the weak, empty mirth that he conjured, only to begin shaking for another reason as his eyes began to swim with tears and the little droplets began to fall to the floor and make wet spots. His vision became warped as the tears landed on his glasses and he let loose a breathy sob. He looked up to see Prussia about a foot away from him, his arms spread with permission, and Austria abandoned everything as he flung himself into the waiting embrace, sobbing with such force of a man who has lost everything in his life and seemed to be weighed down with the pressure of the entire world.

In a way, he was.

Prussia squeezed Austria as close to him as their bodies would allow. He let the woeful man bury his face in the navy uniform, drenching it with his tears. He himself buried his own face into the chocolate brown hair that always smelled like spice and the autumn wind. He tried not to cry, but a few tears decided to betray him and slid down his cheeks and into that enticing hair. He never wanted to let go. He wanted to stay here forever, comforting Austria and making him happy and forget that Hungary ever had a part in their lives…

"It's okay, Roddy, the awesome me is here…"

…

That had been almost a century ago… That was supposed to be forgotten. Austria and Hungary were on good terms now. Best friends. But even the present day isn't immune to the strong veil that alcohol spreads across the mind, covering everything but the most vulnerable, raw memories and emotions that are constantly suppressed by the subconscious. Austria was the perfect example of that. The trembling form had long since calmed, tear tracks shimmering in the lamplight as his sleeping form rose and fell gently with his soft breathing. Prussia smiled mournfully at his little master, wishing him sweet dreams of ginger spice and Christmas cake, for he was determined to make sure that Austria would be the happiest guy alive when he woke in two more days…

**Cliffhanger! I hate reading them, yet strangely, I love writing them… I'm such a troll :D**

**Prussia ended up being extremely depressing in this, but who wouldn't? AUSTRIA JUST GOT DITCHED BY HUNGARY! There was also a lot of Hungary bashing in this chapter, but again, HUNGARY DITCHED AUSTRIA! The mood will pick up, not to worry :3**

**What will happen next? Will Austria remember why he was crying the next day? Will Prussia be able to cheer him up by Christmas, and how? Will Gilbird's girlfriend ever be introduced?! So many questions, and so many opportunities to review! So pretty please with whip cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry on top with optional chopped nuts, REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ack! I know, I'm terrible for not updating over the weekend like I intended to do, but school is a bitch like that, unfortunately, and apparently each of my teachers like to forget that I have SIX OTHER CLASSES TO WORK FOR AS WELL AS THEIR OWN. It drives me nuts :P**

**Well, better late than never. This chapter is building up to the next, where I intend for the real fun to begin, and hopefully my intentions will be fulfilled! Enjoy ;D**

Austria woke up feeling like someone had bashed his head in with a metal bat. His head throbbed with every beat of his pulse, and he groaned at the pain, only to groan again, much more quietly this time, when his ears began to ring with the noise of his voice. Now he remembered, as painful as it was to think about anything at the moment, why he never _ever_ got drunk.

Because hangovers hurt, quite bluntly, like a _bitch_.

Once the throbbing had lessened to a dull, pulsing pain and his ears weren't as sensitive to the sound of rustling sheets, Austria sat up against the headboard of his bed. It was then that all the memories of the night before came crashing into him. The thoughts of what could have been between him and Hungary, had she not gained her independence. The uncertainty about the first sip of German beer. The anger that welled up inside of him after every swig of the bitter liquid. The sadness that overtook all other thoughts and emotions after four more bottles. The sixth gently being released from his grip by an outside force as he began to tremble with compressed sobs. The spinning drowsiness and grounding comfort of arms wrapped around him before the darkness of sleep overtook him. It all locked into place in his mind, and Austria began to feel the heavy weight of depression sink onto him, slowly but surely, just as it had the night before.

He slowly turned his head to the left, a severe lack of enthusiasm apparent, and tried to focus his tired eyes on the date printed on his bedside calendar. It was December 24th, or rather, Christmas Eve, yet he didn't feel the rush of anticipation and excitement that would normally course through his limbs, down to the tips of his fingers and toes. Ever since he was a child, that excitement would push him through the day, making him antsy to open his gifts under the tree. But this time, he felt as though he could care less about whatever was in those decorated boxes and soon-to-be-stuffed stockings.

They just didn't matter.

He was yanked out of his thought by the painful sound of the bedroom doors crashing open and an agonizing shout of "THE AWESOMENESS HAS ARRIVED!" Austria cried out in agony, flopping back down on the bed and covering his poor abused ears with the pillows. Unfortunately, it did little to filter out the loud _stomp stomp_ of Prussia's black boots. The infernal noise stopped once it reached the side of his extravagant four-poster, king-sized bed, and the same side sank down when bodily weight was added to it. Austria felt a cool hand stroke up and down the skin on his exposed arm, sending shivers down his spine and raising gooseflesh. The hand removed itself from his arm and began to gently pry the soft, useless barrier off of his head and toss it aside. Austria opened his bleary eyes and gazed up at the confident, yet strangely loving smirk that adorned the albino's face. Austria sat up once more, leaning against the headboard and turned his head in Prussia's direction, an irritable expression making itself at home on the aristocrat's face.

"Do you not know the meaning of "inside voice", Prussia? Or do you just relish in the sound of your voice invariably ringing in your ears like the egocentric moron you are?"

"Oooh, _buuuuuuurn!_ I don't think I'll _EVER _be able to recover from _THAT _one," Prussia replied, his snarky voice coated and heavily dripping with sarcasm. Frankly, Austria was surprised that he was able to understand every word and not have to ask for the definition before his retort. He just stared at Prussia.

"…You really are a moron, you know that?"

Prussia let out a soft _Kesesese_ at his boyfrienemy's grouchy mood. The two of them had been "dating", officially announced by France without their consent, for almost three years. The relationship had started when both men got piss drunk on New Year's Eve at France's house, which was a terrible idea on its own. The pair stumbled up the many steps to the guest rooms that France had "prepared" for any "activities" that would inevitably ensue from the night's antics. Disturbingly enough, the two had ended up… "truly becoming one with the other" right when the clock struck midnight. Of course, the two of them didn't have any knowledge of this the next morning, and their extreme hangovers weren't made any better when Hungary and Japan showed their "behind the scenes footage" of what went down in each bedroom, all the while stifling their seemingly endless nosebleeds. Prussia and Austria's footage in particular left many nations clutching their stomachs at the hilarity and ridiculousness of the situation and many others red-faced from their own special appearances on tape, including Finland and Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Russia and China, and Lithuania and Poland, who buried his face in Lithuania's shirt and pleaded that nobody looked at him.

Austria, of course, had been against it from the start, yet Prussia somehow managed to get it through his thick skull that they would be _perfect _for each other. Austria refused to associate with Prussia at all, and for a week afterward he ignored the Prussian completely. That was soon changed when Prussia got fed up with his excommunication and promptly slammed Austria against the wall after a World Meeting and kissed him until he was purple. Ever since then, Prussia and Austria had been part of a shaky relationship that involved many quarrels, yet much passion, with bits of fluffy romance thrown in here and there.

"Of course I know that, but I know that _you_ love hearing my voice as much as I do." Prussia retorted, that unique smirk growing wider as he lightly tapped Austria's nose at the word "you". Austria flinched at the gesture, scrunching his eyes shut as though he had gotten sand in them. He opened his eyes, glaring irritably at Prussia, his left eye twitching in that adorable way it did when he was ticked off.

"I'm not a child, and I would appreciate it if you didn't treat me as such." Austria huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Prussia cackled at the irony of Austria's actions. He may not be a child, but his mannerisms around Prussia said otherwise, and the futile attempts at getting said albino to cease his antics weren't any better. He settled down, his face becoming solemn as he searched Austria's eyes for traces of the night before. They were definitely there, and it broke the Prussian's heart to see that Austria was still depressed about the taboo memories. Austria seemed to notice this for he quickly looked away to avoid seeing Prussia's hurt face.

"I have breakfast set out for you when you're ready." Prussia said, breaking the heavy silence. He grinned mischievously, however, it seemed forced, and Austria felt a pang of guilt in his chest knowing that his depressing state was causing it. Before he could question Prussia about it, he was already departing the bedroom with the distinct _clomp clomp_ that didn't seem so painful anymore. Austria sighed, and started a bit when he felt something rustling in his hair. He groped blindly at it until he had a handful of something soft and poofy, pulling it out and in front of him to inspect it. A feathery yellow head with beady black eyes and a small orange beak popped out of the circular gap that Austria's cupped hands made. Austria chuckled, forgetting his worries briefly as he stroked Gilbird's small head with his thumb, earning a content tweet as Gilbird closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"You sure do pop up in the oddest of places, don't you?" Austria asked, smiling at the chirping that he assumed was a "yes". "Prussia's right, you _are_ quite adorable, aren't you?" Gilbird simply pecked lightly at Austria's hands, signaling his desire to be released. Austria consented, and Gilbird flapped his tiny wings, waiting for Austria to climb slowly out of bed. The aristocrat yawned, arching his back and earning some loud pops for his troubles. He sighed, placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose and shuffling out of his room with Gilbird in his wake, and proceeded down the tall hallways that seemed to overflow with tinsel and had large, decorative ornaments hanging from the ceiling, like the kind that hang in shopping malls during the holiday season.

_Prussia sure does like to go over-the-top,_ thought Austria. He made a mental note to ask Prussia how he even got up there in the first place. He wrapped his arms around his torso, cursing the heating system for not reaching the hallway he occupied yet. Sure, he was clad in a lavender long-sleeve nightshirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and a matching pair of comfy, fleece pajama pants, but those could only do so much against the infernal drafts.

Finally reaching the large dining hall, he looked around, finding it empty. The table wasn't even set for breakfast like he assumed, which puzzled him. He was brought out of his thoughts by a humming voice in the adjacent kitchen. Assuming it to be Prussia, he entered, shivering as the cold stone floors nipped and chilled his feet to the bone. The kitchen seemed to be strangely out of place with the rest of the extravagant household, with its brick walls and the old oven built into the wall on the far side of the room. There were modern appliances, of course, stylized to match the rest of the rustic décor. Prussia was humming his signature song "Mein Gott", nodding his head to the beat while placing scrambled eggs on top of a piece of toast on each of the two plates set out for him and Austria. He looked up and smiled at Austria, carrying the plates out into the dining hall, pecking Austria on the check as he went. Slightly irritated at the gesture, the aristocrat followed him sluggishly, his enthusiasm still killed.

Prussia set the plates of food down, one at the head of the table and the other in front of the seat to the immediate left. He pulled Austria's chair out for him with over exaggerated elegance.

"Your chair, milady." He said with his most polite voice that he usually reserved for when he was in the presence of true royalty, when he was teasing someone, much like he was now, or when he was dealing with someone that could potentially incapacitate him if he acted out of line.

"Humph." Came the laconic reply.

Austria seated himself as Prussia pushed in his chair, taking his own seat afterwards and promptly shoveling his food into his mouth, using the piece of toast as a sort of scoop for the eggs. Austria wrinkled his nose, opting for a more sophisticated approach and used his silverware to cut his food into appropriate portions for chewing.

"Don't you have any manners? You could at least savor the toast and eggs separately instead of shoving the whole thing into your mouth like a barbarian." He stated, annoyed. He knew that Prussia wasn't eating his food in a strange way, exactly, for he knew many people ate this type of meal in a similar fashion, but Austria's depression was having a negative effect on him, making him a lot more critical and moody than normal.

"I don't care so much about the toast; it's just a vessel for the eggs. Besides, it's all gonna end up in my stomach meshed together anyways, ya know? Like, all goopy and sloppy, churning in my stomach, looking like the kind of thing a cat would hack up-"

"Prussia, that's disgusting."

"Well, it's true! It's happening in you right now! It probably smells like a rotten fish market with all that beer and stomach acid, all greenish yellow-"

"Point taken! Good lord… disgusting animal." Austria said, already exasperated. He immediately regretted his choice of words when he saw Prussia's slightly hurt expression.

"Look, I'm sorry; I'm just not in the mood right now." He sighed, massaging his temples. Even though his hangover pain had subsided drastically, he still felt trashy, so to speak, and his patience was wearing thin, as well as his willpower to stay out of bed instead of crawling under the covers and sleeping the next two days away.

"Sphecsh, are 'oo wreawly stiwl upshet abou' lat? (Specs, are you really still upset about that?)" Prussia asked through mouthfuls of food before swallowing.

"Not really. I know that Hungary and I are on good terms now, and that she only followed her boss's wishes and whatnot, but it just… I don't know… dampened my Christmas spirit, I suppose." Austria replied glumly, waving away the fact that Prussia just spoke with his mouth full.

"Well, of course it did."

"Wait… what?"

"What did you expect it to do? Make your life sunshine, lollipops and rainbows with a dash of munchkin kittens topped off with a whopping 'good morning, star shine, the earth says hello'? No. It makes you feel totally unawesome. And believe me, I've gotten drunk over my sorrows and past memories before, and you always end up feeling so depressed, like your life will never be awesome again. That's why I'm gonna change that."

"And how exactly are you going to accomplish that?" Austria inquired, genuinely curious as to how his boyfrienemy will do it.

"_Kesesesesese_~! That's a secret! But don't worry. You're gonna be the happiest fuckin' guy alive by Christmas evening! And we're gonna start today."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, so hurry the fuck up and get dressed. Now."

"But I'm not even done-"

"Now, soldier!" Prussia shouted, lifting Austria up and out of his seat, slinging him over his shoulder.

"Prussia, you put me down this instant!"

"Nope! _Kesesesese_~!" Prussia sprinted down the hallway at record speed, considering he ate nothing but junk food, much to Germany's displeasure. He rushed into Austria's room, throwing him unceremoniously onto the bed before digging through Austria's closet for proper winter attire. He found a pair of straight legged casual pants, a white button up shirt, a purple v-neck sweater to wear over it, a black winter coat, and a pair of black leather boot-shoes that reached up just past the ankle. He threw the mass of fabric at Austria, who was just sitting up, and received an outfit to the face with a "Mph!"

"Go get dressed soldier! Now!"

"Alright!"

"Excuse me?!"

"YES SIR!" Austria shouted at the top of his lungs, dashing into the adjoined bathroom and tugging the outfit on as fast as he could. Once Prussia had deemed his appearance acceptable, the two proceeded down the maze of hallways toward the front door of the manor.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Austria inquired, already out of breath from rushing around.

"The mall! The most awesome place of entertainment ever!" Prussia exclaimed, cackling at the awesomeness of his own idea. They were almost out the door when they heard a frantic chirping that made them pause. Austria looked up, seeing a yellow mass shaking and ruffling, caught in a tangle of tinsel hung up on the wall.

"How the _fuck_ did you get up there?! Seriously!" Prussia sighed, reaching up and untangling Gilbird from his trap. Austria chuckled.

Yes, Gilbird _did_ pop up in the oddest of places, didn't he?

**Heeheehee! Gilbird is the best source of comic relief :D**

**What will Prussia and Austria do at the mall? Will Prussia buy Austria something? Will hilarity ensue? How ****_did_**** Prussia hang the ornaments on the ceiling anyways? Reviews are the key to finding out these questions and more! So please, review :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Posting these chapters have been the last thing on my mind recently, since I've been juggling two major projects as well as other school crap, but I promise to not let my readers down! I always post my chapters as soon as I'm finished writing them, so you always get them fresh off the flash drive!**

**Also, I'm thinking about writing a few one shots about what happened in the bedrooms at France's New Year's Party mentioned in the previous chapter. I've never written smut before, but I've read enough of it that I probably give off copious amounts of smut vibes that would make every child in a full day care cry. Be sure and let me know if I should do it when you guys review! ;)**

**Also, I'm feeling generous today, so I just want to say that I DO NOT OWN any of the stores, brands, or products mentioned in the mall. If I did, I would get free stuff and they would all sell hipster/ vintage stuff :3 I DO partially own the message on Poland's Christmas card. I was inspired by a birthday card I got for my friend, except hers had teddy bears, sunshine, and rainbows with a unicorn in the inside instead of a reindeer. 'Twas quite amusing :3 Enjoy ;D**

The bright yellow paint and pristine white molding that adorned the walls of the Hallmark store made Prussia dizzy with the sharp contrast they had on the colorful merchandise crowded on the too small shelves. Normally, he wouldn't dare go into this store. It was for grandmas and crazy cat ladies, in his opinion, but Austria had insisted that they stop by, pointing out that they carried gifts for almost everyone here. Not to mention, if Austria liked the store, he would be in here for a while, and it would be in Prussia's best interest to look for a gift for his designated nation here.

Every nation used to get gifts for whomever they desired during the holiday season, whether they were Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, or even Atheist, and they would each hand them to their respected receivers at the World Holiday Party each year. However, centuries of jealousy and confusion lead to Finland's proposal of a Secret Santa exchange. This took a lot of pressure off of every nation, since they really only had to get one gift. Of course, many of them would usually get gifts for their other friends, even if they didn't draw their names. Austria, despite his usual stinginess, was one of those people, and had insisted that they go to at least ten other stores during their trip to the mall so he could get the perfect gift for every one of his friends. He was currently buying Canada's Secret Santa gift, inspecting a lovely little ornament of a polar bear cub sprawled on top of an over-sized ruby red present with a green bow.

Prussia contented himself with scourging the Christmas cards, looking for one that would suit Poland, whom he was Secret Santa for, the best. He came across one with very adorable drawings of a Christmas tree, a snowman, and an elf on the front that said, in red and green glitter letters:

"I hope your Holiday Season is full of twinkling Christmas trees, stylish Snowman and dancing Elves…"

Curious, Prussia opened the card to reveal a reindeer with large, pop-up antlers, a very unamused expression on its face.

"…But be careful of those Reindeer. They'd as soon gore you as look at you. Merry Christmas!"

Chuckling, Prussia plucked the corresponding envelope from the shelf and proceeded to where Austria was standing. The aristocrat seemed to be fighting an inner battle on whether he should get the ornament, or a giant stuffed polar bear wearing a Santa hat and holding a red velvet pouch stuffed with Andes Mints.

"Get the stuffed one."

Austria gave a little yelp of surprise upon hearing Prussia right beside him. He had been so engrossed in his decision making that he hadn't noticed his arrival. Sniffing, he turned to his boyfrienemy and gave him an inquisitive look.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Because Andes Mints are his favorite candy," Prussia shrugged, "And besides, France already got him that ornament for his present."

"But I would assume that he already has numerous plush polar bears at his home already."

"Not really. He has more hockey shit at home than polar bear stuff. He has one small one from his kid years, before he got Kuma-what-the-fuck-his-name-anymore, and it sits on his bed, buts it's ratty and old and very personal, so he doesn't let other people touch it. He'd want a newer one that he can put out in the living room couch or something."

"You sure do know a lot about Canada, don't you?" Austria inquired, both of them making their way to the checkout counter. Prussia was never really one to care much about other people's interest aside from himself, Austria, Germany, and the other Bad Touch Trio members, France and Spain.

"He and I went out for a couple of decades after my official dissolution in 1947." Prussia replied casually.

"Really? He doesn't really seem your type, since he's so quiet…" Austria mused, grabbing a package of black licorice and pulling out his credit card to pay for his now complete purchase.

"Aww, you jelly, Roddy?" Prussia sneered, cackling at Austria's disgruntled glare.

"No, I am not _jealous_, Prussia. I'm just saying he never seemed to me as the kind of person you would be interested in, that's all."

"Well, he was able to… I don't know, connect with me, I guess? After my dissolution, I felt that I wasn't part of the world anymore. I was able to confine with him my feelings. He understood, considering that the other Allied Nations rarely took notice of him at the time or mistook him for America. After that, it just sort of built into a relationship." Prussia placed the Christmas card on the counter, eyeing the Harboro gummy bears that were on display as the clerk scanned the card and totaled the purchase.

If Austria's depression was nearly snuffed out by that time, it came back in full force, but not for the reason that it appeared in the first place. Despite Austria's irritated demeanor he usually sported when he and Prussia's relationship was brought up, he always did his best to make Prussia happy. Whether it be surprising him with his favorite, albeit bizarre, meal of pancakes, wurst, German beer and mangoes, or agreeing to role-play a particularly… enticing part in their more intimate encounters, the end result that he always aimed for was the look of pure, untainted happiness that would cross Prussia's features and linger for a few hours afterwards. The fact that he was unable to console Prussia during his lonely hours as Canada obviously had made him feel as though he was shunted out of the picture.

Prussia, shopping bag in tow, noticed this immediately and began to search for an explanation, his face becoming flushed and his speech halting. "What I meant was-well- obviously it didn't work out, I mean-he and I never really-we aren't seeing each other anymore-no- we stopped after about-when was it?- 1978… 79? Uhh…dammit-look." Prussia's face had contorted into an extremely embarrassed scowl, amusing Austria to a slight extent. "Austria, you and Canada are two totally different dudes. He's a listener; you're more of a… do-er."

"Do-_er_?" Austria was even more confused than ever.

"I mean, you really try your best at helping me. If something's wrong, you make a point of making me feel better in your own prissy way, and it usually works. Then, you tackle whatever it is that's bothering me _with _me, and we end up fixing it to some extent in the end. That's why I fell…in…love…with you. When I was with Canada, he did lots of things to comfort me, but it was more of a mental support rather than an actual "let's-do-something-about-it" support… Does that make sense?"

Austria was astounded at how easily saying "I love you" had been for Prussia, despite the hesitation of trying the words on his tongue for the first time. He nodded absentmindedly, his mind currently trying to process Prussia's whole explanation _and_ the fact that the "I love you" was making him want to giggle like a school girl.

"Uhh, Specs? You okay?" Steam seemed to be billowing from Austria's ears as his face grew as red as Rudolf's nose.

"Yes! I'm fine!" he replied, his voice having risen to a falsetto.

"Uhh… Hey look! Urban Outfitters! I need to get Poland's gift from there!" Prussia exclaimed, thankful for a chance in subject.

The next twenty minutes comprised of Prussia looking for _the perfect_ over-sized sweater in the _exact_ shade of hipster pink that Poland liked, which led to some exasperated texts between him and Lithuania for a reference. Austria simply spent the time looking at the novelty figurines as he snacked on his black licorice, his hope for the modern generation steadily depleting as the figurines continued to get more and more bizarre. One of them was even a little dog dressed in a green cactus suit with multicolored spines poking out of it. Really, this might as well have been the Pompidou Museum, what with all the strange things on display.

It was obvious that Prussia wasn't going to finish anytime soon, so the aristocrat decided to go purchase Hungary's gift. After announcing his plan to a very befuddled albino, who absentmindedly consented, Austria set off towards the Godiva Chocolatier shop.

The sight that greeted him was breathtaking. Intricate towers of gold and brown candy boxes were placed throughout the store. The shelving was practically overflowing with bags of chocolate-covered somethings and stuffed, fluffy animals holding onto bags and boxes of the gourmet chocolate. There was a chocolate dipping center that had two tall fountains dripping with the sweet, rich nectar, as well as bowls of strawberries, apples, and even nuts and coffee that were waiting to be bathed in it. In the back of the store stood a large, lit-up case with individual specialty candies on display. Austria's mouth was watering before he even processed the wonderful aroma that wafted throughout the store.

He inspected every box they had to offer, from their caramel collections to their ice cream parlor set. He finally settled on getting Hungary a box of their dark chocolate assortment, as well as three juicy chocolate-covered strawberries. He got his gifts wrapped and purchased, exiting the store with his own four Mint Chocolate Chip truffles in hand.

Austria continued to wander the mall, which was a lot less crowded than what he had previously assumed for Christmas Eve, making a few other purchases along the way. They included an elite cat-grooming set for Greece, complete with brushes, shampoo, conditioner, accessories, and special "fur spray" specifically for cats, a cook book on "1001 Dishes Centered on Tomatoes" for Spain, a new firearm polishing and care kit for Switzerland, and a red and white holiday dress for Liechtenstein to wear at the impending New Year's Day party that would be held at France's house again this year. It was on his way out from Macy's that he saw Prussia approaching him, holding an Urban Outfitters bag that he assumed was holding Poland's sweater, as well as a few other shopping bags.

"So did you find the right sweater?" Austria asked as they made their way across the mall towards the food court.

"After thirty frickin' minutes of hunting and texting Lithuania, yes. I also got a "How to Cook Pasta" cookbook for West since he'll be needing it, a vintage chess set for Lithuania, and some new…toys for France." Prussia replied, not bothering to elaborate on the kind of "toys" he got for the "village pervert", as it were.

Austria nodded, sitting down at an unoccupied table as Prussia left to get their food. He noticed that there was a fourth bag amongst Prussia's purchases. It was fairly small, definitely not big enough to hold any of the gifts that he had mentioned. It was a pale, papyrus colored bag, with handles that were made of thick, golden strings, almost rope-like. He was about to reach for it when Prussia returned with their food. As Prussia was about to sit down, he shifted the bags to make room for himself, obscuring the mysterious gift bag from Austria's view in the process, to his slight disappointment.

"So why will Germany be in need of a pasta cook book now? Doesn't Italy do most of the cooking anyways?" Austria inquired, biting into his ham and salami sub sandwich.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? They're engaged as of last Friday."

Austria nearly gagged. Germany and Italy. Engaged. Since three days ago.

Well, that was unexpected.

"Engaged?! Last Friday?!"

"Heheh, yup. West finally grew the balls to ask him. Their wedding's probably gonna be next summer. They're planning on announcing it at the Christmas party tomorrow evening. Anyways, the cook book is so West can practice his Italian cooking for wooing his little cuddle bunny, kesesese~!"

Austria couldn't help but feel a sense of pride towards the two lovers. He had known Italy as a small child all the way through his adolescence and to his adult years and Germany since he was no more than ten or eleven. Austria felt his heart soar at the news and fought back tears of joy.

What was he, a middle aged mother or something?

"Hey yo. Specs. Roddy. Did you die or something?"

He was brought out of his thoughts by Prussia's hand waving vigorously in front of his eyes, nearly whacking his glasses off.

"Oh, I was simply thinking that-"

He was interrupted by the strong, forceful bongs of the mall's giant clock tower, which stood in the middle of the entire establishment, and could be heard in every store. One bong, two, three, four, five…

_Five._

"Shit! We have to get home before that blizzard is supposed to hit!" Prussia exclaimed, referring to the extreme weather report that they had heard on the radio on their way to the mall. Leaping up, Prussia crumpled up the rest of his and Austria's lunch, throwing it into the trash can with expert aim, condensed all of his shopping bags into the large Urban Outfitters bag, and gripped Austria's hand, dragging him towards the descending escalator leading to the parking lot, barely giving the aristocrat time to grab his own shopping bags beforehand. As they speed walked through Sears towards the exit, Austria remembered something.

"Hey Prussia? How did you get those enormous ornaments to hang down from the tall hallway ceilings at home?"

Prussia slowed for a moment upon hearing Austria's question. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Gilbird."

Austria was puzzled. "You mean to tell me, that little-mind you, _little_- Gilbird lifted those _heavy, bulky _ornaments into the air, and hung them up himself?"

"Yes."

Austria stared.

Well now, there's a start to a massive headache.

**A/N: Once again, I apologize for such a late update. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me! This story should be finished before or on New Year's Day, but definitely not after that. I won't slack off, I promise!**

**Also, I just love the thought of Poland shopping at Urban Outfitters. It suits him so well!**

**So… what was in the mystery bag? How will the Christmas Party go down? Will Poland like his sweater? He better, cuz Prussia had to use some serious brainpower to get it! You all will find out all this and more if you simply review!**

**Oh, yeah, don't forget to tell me if you guys would like me to write the stories about the New Year's Party that started it all. Reviews are lovely, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Winter Break, my lovely readers!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I was dead, but I came back to life! I'm up and running again, and you can blame my death on driving lessons, my favorite English teacher in the whole world moving this coming Friday (sad face... I'm gonna miss her…), and redox equations. However, despite the fact Christmas has well passed and I totally lied, I can't leave this story hanging. So, here's an update! Yay! Also, Gilbird's girlfriend, as mentioned in Chapter One, makes an appearance, and all history behind her name is actually true. Double yay!**

**WARNING: Unethical treatment of gingerbread men ahead. Enjoy. ;D**

The car ride home was like a scene in a western movie, where the heroes were Prussia and Austria. Instead of riding a horse, they drove a red 2012 Honda Civic sedan. Instead of out riding a massive dust storm, they out rode a massive blizzard. It seemed that everyone else on the highway was experiencing the same remixed western fantasy, for no one, not even the police had any regard for the speed limit above their own lives. Austria was twisted around in the passenger seat the whole ride, updating the driving Prussian on the distance between them and the giant, shape shifting wall of snow galloping towards them. If it had been a few years previous, the aristocrat wouldn't even trust Prussia with sitting in the driver seat with the car's engine simply on, and driving would have been out of the question. But after Prussia saved his life from a possible motor accident by maneuvering the car safely out of the way of impending traffic, while still sitting in the passenger seat, when Austria had been suddenly taken by a heat stroke, Austria would trust Prussia flying him across the world in an airplane without experience if the situation called for it. Not that he thought it would, but he could definitely trust Prussia out-driving a blizzard at seventy-five to eighty miles per hour at this point.

Not a minute after they had pulled into the garage of Austria's home and sat down in the living room, panting from the adrenaline coursing through their bodies, had the blizzard hit their location with a sudden _BOOM_! The whole manor shook and the outside world was bleached out in a grayish, murky, and continuously shifting shield of snow. Gilbird, who had taken the liberty of inviting his significantly fluffy other into the house, was currently snuggling with her on top of Austria's grandfather clock, both their bodies expanding and contracting slightly with their soft, sleepy breathing.

The rest of the evening involved the wrapping of presents, with many failed attempts at getting the cheap knock-off brand of Scotch tape to tear off the roll properly on Prussia's part, and sipping hot cocoa on the extravagant royal purple couch with frames of gold painted mahogany. They were wrapped up in fuzzy fleece tie-blankets that Kugelmugel had made for Austria last Christmas, who claimed that his other throw blankets were "too mundane and hardly artistic". The little snot had given Austria many headaches over the past twenty-eight years, but he had to admit, the blankets _were_ quite cozy, especially with the winter pajamas that the two of them were wearing.

About halfway through the movie Dark Shadows that Prussia had rented On Demand, Austria had slipped into a heavenly winter slumber, leaning against Prussia's shoulder as a make-shift pillow. Turning off the movie, Prussia then maneuvered the snoozing Austria into his extravagant bedroom. He decided that the tie-blanket was already providing enough warmth and that here was no need to tuck him into the duvet cover. It would have been difficult anyways, since Austria was a heavy sleeper with quite the death grip to boot, and had latched onto the albino's arm sometime during the journey to the bedroom. Prussia chuckled at his clinginess, slipping onto the bed with him and pulling his own blanket over the two of them before falling into an equally pleasant sleep himself.

_~Austria's house, December 25__th__, 2012, about eight o'clock in the morning…~_

The next morning, Prussia was shaken awake by Austria. His arm was numb and tingling from the lack of blood flow that the Austrian's relentless grip provided, and his head was still groggy and slow to respond.

"Uhg. Specs? Wazzup, whadappened?"

"Finland came. Get up, it's Christmas morning, you moron!" Austria exclaimed. Prussia's eyes opened completely and his whole body seemed to wake up at the sight that he was greeted with.

For the first time in two days, Austria was wearing a genuine, jubilant smile. Fuck that, he was grinning like a maniac, with his violet eyes sparkling with happiness and mischief behind his decorative glasses. Prussia could have laid there and stared at that wonderful expression for hours. But all good things must come to an end, for Austria spun around on his heel and zoomed towards the living room where the Christmas tree awaited in all its gifted glory. Prussia thrashed the twisted tie-blanket off of him and ran with clumsy feet after his boyfrienemy.

_'Of course, I'll have to stop calling him that after tonight…'_

Prussia shook his head, dispelling the foreboding thoughts out of his mind, focusing on the "here and now" of his life.

It amazed Prussia to no end how much Austria would act like a small child on Christmas day. The normally posh, aloof, and proper nation was now sitting on the rug amongst ripped pieces of colorful wrapping paper, still in his pajamas and beaming at the new sweater that their wonderful Finnish Santa Claus had brought him. Prussia chuckled, sitting down opposite the aristocrat and grabbing a box of his own. He slashed and hacked the wrapping paper away, whooping when he revealed a huge party keg for his German beer, complete with rubber hosing for keg stand competitions. Austria rolled his eyes, for he always disapproved of such boorish activities, but was too overcome by his own Christmas joy to say anything.

Halfway through the present opening, the pile of wrapping paper cadavers grew to the size of either a large hill, or a small mountain. Gilbird and his girlfriend (whom Austria named Roderica after not only himself, but a strong ruler among the Teutonic Knights, much to Prussia's approval) even received their own tiny tower of presents, and were snuggling in their own tiny scarves. Gilbird's was in the pattern of the Prussian flag, and Roderica's in the pattern of the Austrian flag, appropriately. Among other things, Prussia had received some high quality and very delicious varieties of sausage (or "rich people's meat", as he so crudely put it) from Germany, a large Prussian flag to hang in his room from France, perfect down to the tiniest stitch of the emblem. He received black, white, and gold motorbike from Austria, who earned himself probably one of the most passionate make-out sessions in his life for his troubles, a gigantic bottle of Canada's most delicious maple syrup, and a new sword from Spain, which happened to be a replica of his old one from his days as a tyrant.

Austria's gifts included a piano refurbishing kit from Switzerland, a book of video game piano music from Prussia, making him chuckle. He also got a small, hand painted music box from Liechtenstein that played Mozart's Symphony Number Forty, a pasta cook book from Italy, and a brilliant royal purple pendant for his shirt, given to him by Hungary. Austria silently thanked Finland for his excellent present delivery service and rose from his seat on the floor, only to be tackled into the hill/mountain of wrapping paper by a certain albino. Before he could completely regain his bearings, a pair of lips made their home upon his own. He sighed into the kiss, letting his eyes slip shut and winding his arms around Prussia's neck. They remained this way for a few minutes, moving their lips together in a slow, sweet dance before parting, opening their eyes once more.

"You sure are being affectionate today." Austria teased, allowing the Prussian to rest his forehead upon his own, a loving smirk on his lips.

"I'm just happy that you're smiling again, because seeing you frown twenty-four-seven was seriously unawesome." Prussia replied, earning an irritated look from the aristocrat.

"I wasn't frowning that much. If anything, I was probably expressionless the whole time."

"Uh-huh, yeah. I beg to differ." Prussia leaned down to kiss Austria's pout from his lips. As cute as it was, he preferred the smile from earlier.

"Well, we still have some time before France's party tonight. Do you want to go out? Or stay home?" Austria asked. At the mention of France's party, he could've sworn he saw Prussia's face pale the tiniest of a fraction, but dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"Well, the lake at the park is probably frozen solid from the blizzard yesterday. Can we go ice skating?"

"Absolutely not," Austria replied, almost too quickly. Prussia pouted half-heartedly, trying to sway the man below him.

"Aww, come on, Specs! Ice skating is awesome, almost as awesome as me, but not really, because that would be a sign of the apocalypse, but still… Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

"No."

"You're just scared that you'll fall and look totally unawesome."

"Yes, I am," Austria stated truthfully. "And I want my entire lower body to be intact for walking and dancing this evening."

"Look, how about I promise to hold onto you the entire time unless you say otherwise. Please?"

Austria huffed. He studied the albino's ruby eyes, searching for that unmistakable glint that would signal future betrayal, but found only sincerity. He cracked under Prussia's hopeful stare.

"Fine," Prussia's face lit up, "but only if you hold up your end of the bargain. And no loop holes, exceptions, cutting corners, or bending the rules in the slightest, understood?"

"I solemnly swear that I will only 'do good'," Prussia recited, kissing Austria chastely before dashing off to find the ice skates.

Austria stood up, wandering back to his room to change clothes. He thought about what he had just agreed to, and already simulated all the possible outcomes in his mind, not many of them positive. He shivered at the thought of the frigid ice rushing up to meet him, cracking under the force and giving way to the icy, arctic waters below…

_'This man will be the end of me…'_ he shuddered.

_~The public park, December 25__th__, 2012, about eleven o'clock in the morning…~_

"This was a terrible idea!" Austria screamed, struggling to hold onto the light post at the very edge of the large, frozen lake. No way in hell was he skating on the ice, regardless of any sign posted that indicated if it was safe for the public to skate on or not.

"Specs! Quit struggling and let go!" Prussia exclaimed, tugging at the aristocrat's scarf with both hands, miraculously keeping his balance in the slippery ice at the same time.

"No! I don't wish to die today! Unhand me!" Austria cried, squeaking as his gloved hands started to slowly slip off the slick lamp post.

With one final tug, Prussia succeeded in detaching Austria from his security pole. Austria yelped as he was thrust into the albino's embrace, who immediately clamped his arms across his torso to secure him and prevent a broken rump.

"Calm down, Specs! It's not gonna kill you to skate a bit! I promised I wouldn't let you fall, so why are you freaking out?!"

"How was I supposed to know that the ice would be slippery?!"

Prussia deadpanned. "…Austria, think about what you just said."

"Shut it, you moron, and let's get this over with," Austria huffed, creasing his brows as he tried to push his body upright. Prussia kept a firm grip on his forearms from behind, making sure that both of their bodies were in position before he began. He started off slow, sliding forward until his chest nudged Austria's back, urging him to continue. With a sharp intake of breath, Austria began to choppily shuffle his skated over the ice. Not three seconds later, he found himself falling into the hands of gravity. He let out a wail as Prussia gripped his arms forcefully, preventing the aristocrat's rump from smashing the ice. The scene was quite amusing to any passerby, for Austria seemed to be doing the limbo, what with his body hovering just above the ice.

"Well, don't you look sexy," snickered Prussia.

"Shut your mouth or I will slice your foot off with these accursed skates," growled Austria. He righted himself a moment later, huffing as he mentally prepared himself for the second trial.

"Remember, you have to move your body forward with your legs, or you'll fall unawesomely again," Prussia lectured.

Furrowing his brow in concentration, Austria began to slide his feet forward once more, willing his upper body to follow. He felt Prussia shift forward with him, smoothly urging them both forward.

"I don't know how anyone can manage to do this so gracefully," grumbled Austria halfway through their first lap.

"You just have to find your center of gravity," Prussia answered.

"I bet you don't even know where your center of gravity is, you dolt."

"_Au contraire_, it's your core, or your body minus the arms and legs. The major muscles of the core reside in the area of the belly and the mid and lower back, though not the shoulders, and peripherally include the hips, the shoulders and the neck."

"And where did you learn that exactly?"

"Wikipedia."

"Of course."

They continued to banter like this, mostly about whether or not Wikipedia was a reliable source of not, until Austria's legs began to grow tired from skating sporadically in his restrained position. Prussia then swiftly glided them to the lake shore and walked them to a nearby bench, where their normal shoes were waiting expectantly for them. Austria immediately slumped into the available seat, gladly taking the weight off of his weary legs. He let his eyes slip close as his breath came out of his lips in foggy puffs.

He was startled by movement near his feet, and looked down to see Prussia untying and slipping his skates off for him. Austria smiled and let him replace the skates with his regular shoes before sweeping his gaze across the snowy park. The blizzard from the night before had left every piece of playground equipment packed securely beneath pounds of snow. Every tree branch was decked with rows of icicles, breaking the sunlight streaming through them into warped patches of light on the snowy ground. Children were placed randomly across the park, some making wobbly snowmen and others imprinting snow angles into the snow. Austria's gaze then settled on a little cart that looked much like a hot dog stand, only they were selling hot chocolate and fresh baked gingerbread men. Austria's mouth watered on at the sight.

Prussia was one step ahead of him. The albino smiled giddily and raced towards the stand. Austria was envious of the fact that Prussia could still stand on his own two feet after such a tiring sport like ice skating.

_'Then again, I'm not exactly the most physically fit individual within the world's population,"_ Austria thought bitterly. He would've made going to the gym his New Year's resolution, but once he realized he couldn't stay on the treadmill for more than two minutes after last year, he opted not to.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Prussia shoving a steaming styrofoam cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows into his face, some of it spilling onto his winter coat.

"Hey, this coat was expensive!" Austria exclaimed, taking the cup from Prussia's gloved hand.

Prussia rolled his eyes. "Just shove it in the washing machine when we get home," he stated. He handed Austria his gingerbread man before biting onto his own with an audible _snap_! Austria did the same, reveling in the strong taste of ginger spice settling on his taste buds. His sipped his hot chocolate, frowning slightly in annoyance when the steam fogged up his glasses. He let out a content sight, licking off the marshmallow foam that stuck to his upper lip with satisfaction.

He turned to face Prussia, who was busy grinning evilly at the fact that he had just unmercifully bitten off all of his gingerbread man's limbs and was about to devour his frosted smiley face off. Austria looked forlornly at the abused cookie before its candy button eyes were lost in the torturous cavern of the albino's mouth, never to see the daylight again. Austria then looked down at his own cookie, whose left eye had been bitten off by his own doing, making said gingerbread treat reminiscent to that of a small child whose face had been marred by a ferocious spectacled beast.

He set the cookie down with a grimace, suddenly feeling like a very terrible person.

Austria tried his best to dispel those thoughts from his mind and began to think about the Christmas party that evening. He already planned out what he was going to wear by basing his outfit off of the pendant that Hungary had given him. He had to make sure that the purple overcoat with the silver trimming was ironed, else he go with the one with gold trimming. He scrunched his nose at the thought, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to that one. He didn't want to look like he was flaunting his money by choosing a more expensive looking color, especially since Switzerland would get on his case about it the second he noticed…

"Hey Specs, whatcha thinkin' about?" Prussia asked, his gingerbread man now losing what little hope of survival it had as it was surely marinating in his stomach acid. Prussia began to sip his hot cocoa, waiting for a reply.

"Oh, just thinking about tonight, is all," Austria replied airily.

Prussia blanched, stopping mid sip as his whole body seemed to freeze up. Austria took note of this, but didn't say anything. He now knew that Prussia's reaction earlier at the mention of the party wasn't just a trick of the light, and he wanted to investigate further as to why that may be.

Slowly, as though he was having a stare down with a wild bear he didn't want to excite, the albino set his cup ever so gently on the bench, fixing his gaze a head. He inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath before responding.

"Oh."

Austria continued to gauge his reaction, deciding to take the matter at a slow and careful pace.

"Yes, I was just thinking about which overcoat I should wear," he said in the same airy manner.

"Oh."

"Also, I wanted to help you with coordinating your attire as well, if that's alright with you."

"Oh."

Austria raised an eyebrow. "And I was going to strip naked as soon as I walk through the doors and scream and flail about while squirting ketchup and mustard all over myself and everyone around me."

"Oh… Wait what?"

"Spit it out. What's the matter with you?"

Prussia seemed to choose his words carefully as he stared down at his lap, looking very un-Prussia like. He opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again, frowning a bit. Once he decided on an answer, he spoke low and slowly.

"I just... I just want to go to sleep. I don't feel so good. You mind driving?"

Austria continued to study Prussia's face, searching those ruby eyes that were now looking into his, albeit with hesitation. He sighed, but relented. It was Christmas Day, and he didn't want to push Prussia too far.

"Of course."

They both stood, throwing their trash in a nearby waist bin before walking back to the car, skates dangling in their hands. Austria took Prussia's skates from him and set both pairs into the trunk before making his way to the driver's seat. Once he was safely buckled up, he turned to Prussia again, noting how he really did look like he was sick. He was sweaty and his hands shook slightly in his lap, and his tongue would slip out occasionally to lick his pale, winter-chapped lips. Austria took one of the shaking hands into his own, rubbing his gloved thumb over the identically gloved hand as he turned on the ignition and began to drive. About halfway back to the manor, Prussia spoke up, frantically.

"Can you slow down a little, please? If you go any faster I'm gonna puke."

Austria jumped slightly, realizing he was travelling nearly forty miles an hour in a twenty mile speed zone. He was so engrossed in his thoughts of Prussia's condition that he had been subconsciously speeding up. He slowed down considerably and heard Prussia sigh shakily in relief, but his thoughts from before still swam at the forefront of his mind.

He was nowhere near satisfied with Prussia's answer, and he was going to find out what the true one was.

**A/N: Ooooooh, it's getting good now!**

**Will Austria find out what's on Prussia's mind? Will Prussia reveal it willingly? Will the overcoat with the silver trimming be ironed in time? Do you even think about these terribly un-suspenseful questions?! Find out in the hopefully final chapter whenever I decide to start writing it and upload it!**


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